SF Woman Driving Wrong Way On Highway 101 Near Novato Arrested For DUI

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NOVATO (CBS SF) — A San Francisco woman was arrested after she drove the wrong way on U.S. Highway 101 near the Sonoma-Marin county line early Friday morning, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Sofia Kalaveras, 46, was suspected of DUI and allegedly had a half-empty bottle of vodka in plain view in her vehicle after officers eventually stopped her from driving in the wrong direction on the highway.

Kalaveras was seen driving south in the northbound lanes on Highway 101 about 2 miles south of the county line by the Redwood Sanitary Landfill near Novato about 12:10 a.m., CHP officials said.

A CHP vehicle turned on its emergency lights and approached the wrong-way driver in a white Toyota Camry head-on. She was driving in the northbound fast lane, according to the CHP.

The Toyota allegedly just barely veered to avoid the patrol vehicle as it approached, narrowly missing it, according to the CHP.

The patrol car then turned around at San Antonio Road and drove south in the southbound lanes parallel to the Toyota, which continued to drive south in the northbound lanes between 40 and 50 mph, CHP officials said.

The officers drove alongside the Toyota for about a half-mile before it slowed enough that an officer could exit the patrol car, jump over the center divider and enter Kalaveras’ unlocked passenger door. The officer then turned off the car and removed the keys, according to the CHP.

A DUI test was conducted on Kalaveras after she allegedly exhibited signs of intoxication, according to the CHP.

She was arrested and booked at the Marin County Jail on suspicion of various DUI and wrong-way driving charges.

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